High-tech glasses allow the colorblind to see pigments for the first time

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Colorblindness affects millions of people across the globe, though a new pair of high-tech shades could help improve the muddled world.

The company EnChroma Labs has created shades that allow the colorblind to see some pigments. The specs have been on the market since 2012 but only recently caught mainstream buzz, thanks to a New York Times piece. Basically, the glasses work by changing how color is perceived, and let the eye correctly process the visuals. They can do wonders for the colorblind, but it’s actually a total fluke these glasses even exist.

The specs were originally conceived to help doctors protect their eyes from lasers during surgery, but then by serendipity they figured out the glasses also process light and color in a way that makes it much more perceptible to someone who is colorblind. Whereas the colors can bleed together for some, the glasses help separate the pigments so the eyes can process them. It’s not perfect, but it definitely beats little to no color at all.

Check out a video breaking down the science behind the glasses, plus some examples of how it works, below: